Sun Mote Copse Still getting used to road regrets

There's a full lunar eclipse here tonight...So I figured I'd write that here too.

Having caught herself a partridge for a late evening snack after patrolling part of the borders, Niamh set off for the interior territories of the pack, hoping to find @Colt at some point. It was a chilly night, but mostly clear with only a few scattered, filmy clouds tracing their way across the sky, and when Niamh had looked up shortly after sunset, the moon had begun to rise in the East, hanging on the horizon like a massive, off-white eye. It looked bigger than usual, and had caught Niamh's attention then, even though she wasn't one for watching the skies. The moon being full meant that the night would be cold- which meant that she might possibly be able to convince Colt to her her snuggle with him, even just for the night, so that they both stayed warm. 

When she looked up again, though, half of the moon was gone. She froze, staring at it and squinting. It had been full not so long ago- so why did it look like half a month had passed? She was slightly startled by the change in the moon's shape, and so she found a clearing and sat down, still staring the moon down- and she could have sworn to herself that the moon's crescent was getting smaller and smaller. She wasn't sure what to think of this- or if there was really anything that could be done...Or if when the moon disappeared, that the world too would disappear in its entirety. It made her slightly anxious to see a phenomenon like this, so she called out for her ex-mate, hoping that he might know what was going on. The moon was a crescent now, a gleaming silver smile; but something about that smile was off-putting.[/ooc]

Colt hadn't found a constant spot yet and during his time there so far had been just kinda sleeping where he would, waking up freezing, and continuing on his way.  It was a habit he slipped with surprising ease back into. Yet he'd be lying if he said he didn't miss the warmth of a shared space.

He'd just picked a spot near the foot of a tree, and was clearing away some of the thin lining of snow that had drifted up, when Niamh called.  He gave a questioning look, then shook his head and sighed.  He had a guess what she wanted and wasn't even going to pretend this was a difficult choice for him.  

What's going on? he asked as he came up, slowing from a run to a brisk walk.  He didn't want to completely assume, just in case, but her howl hadn't exactly sounded urgent.

It was for sure getting smaller. Niamh watched the moon as she waited for Colt, and was absolutely sure that it was losing its light, and slipping into a smaller and smaller crescent. Phox would've known what it meant- but Phox was too far away to ask so for now, she simply decided to sit and watch, and see what happened when the moon finally disappeared, as it seemed like it was going to do. She heard the sound of footfalls on snow and looked down to see a familiar, dark shape near the edge of the clearing and she beckoned him over with a flick of her muzzle- but she didn't move from her spot, lest she lose her vantage point. 

He seemed concerned, and Niamh was fairly focused on the eclipse at hand- though she didn't know what it was- so she gestured upwards with her muzzle, though she scooted a bit to the side to welcome him to sit next to her. "The moon. It's supposed to be a full moon tonight, right? Well lookit that," She said. "It's been getting smaller and smaller." She said, frowning. She looked to Colt, to see if it made him anxious too, or if he simply understood what was going on.

Well, lookit that.  Luckily for Niamh, her mate was a silver (brown?) fox and had seen an eclipse or two.  Does that sometimes, though I never bothered tracking it, he said, looking at it with a half-smile.  My ma used to say it was the moon winking at us.  Ma Blackthorn had been a hell of a naturalist but her son had 0 proclivity to anything involving that much attention.  (At least I think I remember that Stevie can hit me if not).

Maybe its tryin it's luck with you, he added, leaning over to nose her ear.  Heavy competition.  It was almost too easy, falling back into charm with her, but with everything that had happened lately she deserved it.  It was almost unreal how the last week or so had played out.

OMG. COLT. MARRY ME.

Though the moon's state had ruffled Niamh quite a bit- and she was prepared to believe that everything was coming to an end and would have believed him had he said as much- apparently he didn't find it concerning at all...And apparently this had happened before. She still didn't like it- not that she'd ever taken much notice of natural occurrances such as this, but it had taken her by surprise, and Niamh didn't necessarily like things that did that. Not when she couldn't figure out for herself why it was doing that. She was reassured by Colt's words, though, looked back up at the moon with skepticisim, as though threatening it; should it do anything funny, she'd be onto it. 

He spoke about his mother, and used such an endearing term, and she wasn't sure he'd spoken much about her before. It was nice to hear about her, and given that she'd birthed not only Colt but Finley as well (and let's just say 30 or 40 other Blackthorns) she responded "Yer Ma must be one helluva woman, eh?" Niamh assumed, of course- given the fact that Blackthorns were still popping up, that his mother might still be alive. Niamh had no idea still exactly how old Colt was- and she still believed that Finley was his older sister by at least a year (also sorry Stevie) so it wasn't completely out of the question for her to still be alive, as far as Niamh could tell. But Niamh wasn't good at numbers. 

She was immensely flattered when Colt flirted with her and for a moment, she couldn't do anything but smile and blush- knowing that she needed to find something to say back to him that was equally as cheeky, but it was harder for her to do so this time. Possibly because it meant more that he was doing this to her again, and it meant that perhaps he was coming around to the idea of taking her back. "No competition," She replied, tilting her head back to look at him with a cheshire grin. But rather than being cheeky, she instead went sentimental. "I'm off the market," She said, and turned to look at the fading moon again. "Y'hear that?" She said, raising her voice to shout at it, "And don't you even think of winking at him." She threatened the moon, with a laugh.

Colt smiled and nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with that statement.  He may have grown up loose and wild, but there was a reason even with all the women Colt had dealt with in the past, he knew where respect was.  Ma Blackthorn was a force to be reckoned with, just like many of her daughters.  Last Colt knew, she and his father had been going strong, but since he had decided not to return to the grove he doubted he'd be seeing them again.  That she is.

His comment went over well, it was clear, and she responded with the assumption he'd almost voiced but hadn't.  Off the market.  He had thrown off any assumptions of their prior relationship, allowing this one to progress with a pace all it's own, but it felt surprisingly good to hear those words.  Some of the lingering damage from angry conversations before, hidden away in the back of his mind, eased away.  He barely even realized it, but he felt lighter for it, and laughed.  White's a good color, he said, glancing up at the moon shining overhead.  But yknow?  I think I prefer gold. He stepped closer, moving so that his flank pressed against hers to both share the warmth and space as they watched the eclipse.

Do you have parents out there somewhere? He asked, somewhat out of the blue.  His mind had been on the sky again, and back to his family, and then realizing he knew little of hers aside from her brothers (who he knew better than to bring up).  Did she have a home she missed as well?

Niamh continued to squint suspiciously up at the moon when he praised it for its silver colour- of course, she had no idea that the moon woul change colours when it passed completely into the earth's shadow, but at least Colt said that he preferred her colour. With a coy smile, she leaned against him, enjoying the warmth his presence provided. As much as she wanted to hurry things along and put a ring back on it, she was enjoying the fact that they got to court one another all over again. She'd have to ask Finley and Elwood how they kept the romance slive over so many years- but she was beginning to figure out that it meant that they were continuously courting each other without ever stopping. 

He asked about her parents and she nodded. "Somethin' this good don't come from nothin'," She said, wriggling her shoulders provocatively before she smiled, and answered him honestly. "Yep. Ma and Dad live somewhere Northeast of here, near a really big lake- like it looks like you're looking at the ocean, but it's fresh water." She said. "They're probably still out there, poppin' out kids." She said. "There seem to be uhm...A lot of Blackthorns. So that's...That's Finley's last name- Elwood took her surname?" She asked, threading her thoughts together.

He growled appreciatively in agreement as she joked that she hadn't come from nowhere, and listened carefully as she spoke about her family.  A big one then, like his, and seemingly just as loud judging from she and her brothers.  Maybe that was why they fit well.  If it's anything like home I can see why you left, much as you might miss em. He replied with a smile.  Yeah, Elwood took our name.  Guess he liked it.  Think she's picking up where our parents are leaving off.  She'd had a slew also.

Which brought him around to thinking.  They'd talked about it before, but he didn't know if these last few weeks had changed anything.  Do you still... think you want kids? he asked, looking at the moon but listening, all of the sudden nervous for no real apparent reason.

Niamh laughed faintly when Colt mentioned Finley doing the same as their parents. "Lots of kids. You think Finley and Elwood are gonna have another litter this year?" She asked, though she was aware that Eljay- their oldest son- was also old enough to have children, and could potentially have kids the same year his parents did, which she thought might feel a bit weird. She liked the thought of Finley and Elwood having kids though- Tywyll and Cinder were good kids, even though they were both growing up. And though she'd previously had some misgivings about Clover and Fiadh, they too had turned out fine- as well as Tegan, though he was quite a character. Strong parents made strong kids. 

She was surprised by Colt's question, though the answer was one that she already knew. She wasn't entirely sure, however, if it was the right time to talk about it...But since Colt was the one bringing it up, she nodded, a faint, fond smile on her features. She glanced at him, but he was looking up at the moon. "I do." She said. "But only if they're yours." She felt nervous and anxious all of a sudden, having confessed that, so she shrugged. "Y'know. Just 'cause they'd be stupidly good looking." She said. Humor as a defense mechanism? Maybe.

Without a doubt, Colt answered without hesitating, and he was glad.  He loved his nieces and nephews a lot, as shitty an uncle as he might be, and loved to see more.  They had their... quirks.  But all and all they did the name proud.

He kept looking up as she answered, and guessed he wasn't really surprised by her yes.  She'd wanted them more than he had, though he wasn't sure... the closer they got and the more he thought about Fin and Elwood and their kids, the more he felt that little bit of longing.  So her addition surprised him quite a bit.

They would be, wouldn't they? he said back, because like her that was kinda how they rolled, right?  Humor.  be a shame to deprive the world of that kinda gift.  A real shame.  Yeah.  He was in.  And he was pretty fuckin excited that she was too, no matter what their status might be right now.

Colt didn't seem to think that it'd be surprising to find Finley and Elwood with a few newborns again that year. Niamh, of course, thought that they were a bit close to the ancient side of things and that it'd be a risk, but she wasn't about to say anything about it. Finley was tough, she could probably pop out ten babies and crack a joke about it. 

It seemed as though, then, that Colt still thought there might be a possibility of them having kids. Her heart fluttered in her chest and part of her wanted to say right then and there that they should make a pact so that she had something to hold him to when the time came. She wanted to ask him to be her mate again, as well- but she told herself not to rush things. She was trying to be mature now- and as much as she wanted to simply mash things back together, she didn't feel as though that would provide a future for the both of them that would last. "Well," She said, having told herself what not to say- and now trying to figure out what she should say, "I guess we see what happens, then," She said, but her tone was optimistic. "I still remember some of the names we'd talked about," She said with a chuckle. "I still think you ought to give 'Horse' and 'Nag' a chance."

It hadn't escaped Colt that he might be getting to the point where kids would no longer be an option, and while he wasn't sure how old Niamh was, he'd be lying if he hadn't thought about what might happen in future years.  But he was one hundred percent in denial about anything involving that at this time, mainly because worrying about the future was stupid shit that he'd only started doing when he'd gotten older and he didn't much like it.  Fuck wisdom sometimes.

Oh yeah?  Well, guess we'll have to see if 'nag' ends up being appropriate. he responded back, chuckling also.  He knew he'd probably want to stick with the tradition because much as he hated to admit it he ate that shit up.  But if Niamh's family had a thing, he wasn't planning on shooting it down.  No way is a kid of mine goin by horse though.  You know how much shit I gave Fin for "frog"?  A lot.  He added.  Ah the good times.

Niamh rolled her eyes. "If the kid's anything like me, then 'Nag' will suit it just fine." She said. He also shot down 'Horse' but Niamh laughed. She stopped, though, when he mentioned what Finley's nickname was. "Guess it'd be inappropriate. He'd probably get a lot of "Horse" shit." She said, and bumped her shoulder up against's Colt's to punctuate the lame pun, but then she stayed there, leaning her shoulder against his. It was nice to joke about these things; it meant that they were at least somewhat within the realm of possibility. She looked up at Colt with a smile. "She calls me 'Legs.'" She said, unaware of the fact that Finley had since come up with a different nickname for her. 

She tilted her head up then to look at the moon which had disappeared- all shred of silver was gone from it, but it was still there, albeit very dark, and a shroud of red was starting to cover it from the bottom left corner and up. "Lookit that," She said, and shivered. "You still sure this isn't like...The beginning of the end of the world?"

Hey, she said it, not him!  He laughed at the pun and felt a lot of the nervousness he'd felt previously disappear.  He wasn't sure he was ready to ask her to be his mate again, not yet.  And he wasn't sure where they were headed, though the direction looked promising.  They were on the same page and that was all that mattered.

And she calls me ass.  Good to know she recognizes our best features.  He didn't know if Fin approved of Niamh since he hadn't talked much with her about her, but now he found himself wondering idly if it wasn't worth a conversation.  Shit, was he really considering asking his sister for advice?

Luckily Niamh shifted the topic back to the moon.  If it was, what's one thing you'd want to do before it was finished?  He asked, his tone light despite the nature of the question.

Niamh laughed- a full, belly laugh- not caring if there were others in the area within earshot who were trying to sleep. Colt's sense of humour had always brought a smile to her face, but when he was at his best, he was an absolute hit with her. It didn't matter if he was joking or not- for all she knew, Finley probably did call him 'Ass' as it was totally a Fin kind of remark- she found it a sharp remark that tickled her funny bone just the right way. There was no focring that kind of laugh, and she was still smiling from ear to ear when her laughter faded. "You're pretty clever sometimes, you know that?" She asked, her question meant to compliment. 

She'd settled a bit, when he asked his next question, and part of her had been expecting him to say those exact words. She already knew her answer- and she could have been crass and funny and simply said "you," as it was the truth- but she also didn't want to break their moment by going too far. Those kinds of jokes might not have been on the table just yet, and she was beginning to use this new thing she was beginning to learn, called tact. She wasn't great at it yet, but at least she refrained from making a sex joke, and instead fell quiet. She wasn't sure how to word things- what she wanted was everything- but she knew they were taking it slow. It was hard to not simply spill her guts to him, but she knew he likely already knew she wanted everything back already...But she couldn't ask that of him, nor did she want him to feel pressured. So instead, she leaned against him, snuggling in to take advantage of his warmth. 

"This." She said simply, leaving it at that, as it was the best way to not push things too far. While she was more than ready to resume their lives together, she couldn't expect the same from him- not after what she'd done. They were taking things at his pace, and she knew that if she rushed him, she'd push him away. "Plus like...If it could warm the hell up. And a full deer for us to eat." She added- because Niamh was always too cold and hungry. "But other than that, yeah. Just this."

It was a delight making her laught like that.  He knew damn well he was clever, and the cocksure smile he wore answered that question well enough.  As to his own question - her answer was a good deal different than what he had in mind, though silently, their thoughts were perfectly entwined.  Great minds.

This was the point where a few years back, Colt would have made some sort of comment.  Something about a night under the stars with the most beautiful woman he'd ever met, and something that usually led to a night of... well.  But he didn't want to use gimmicks on Niamh. He didn't feel the need to - neither of them were going anywhere come morning.

Don't know about a full deer, but I bet I could find us something. Would be a shame to go through the end of the world hungry.  He didn't move immediately though, enjoying the closeness.  This, though... not a bad way to go, if the moon did decide to wink us out of existence.  Shit that was a funny image.

”Mmh,” Niamh mused out loud, thinking about getting a meal- but like him, she didn’t want to move. ”Later, though.” She said, leaning against him gently, as though to reiterate the point that she didn’t want him to go anywhere just yet. 

And he was right. If all existance ended at that point, at least they were there and in it together. Maybe not as together as she wanted, but if all she could have was his shoulder to rest her chin against, then she’d take that and simply enjoy the time she had.